Pretty good for a 2 Liter
Pretty good for a 2 Liter turbodiesel. I hope it comes with auto start/stop and I hope it gets a CVT for an automatic eventually so the automatic can get decent city mileage. Hmm, only rated for 27MPG in the city and only 33MPG combined according to some sites (like gmauthority) due to the heavy 3475 pound curb weight + slushbox. Impressive 0-60 of 8.6 seconds with the diesel and the heavy weight.
It seems like too little advantage for the increased price, weight and reduced cargo space.
Increased weight: 3100 pounds for the regular Cruze, 3475 for the diesel.
Reduced cargo space: 4.5 gallon Urea tank for emissions takes up space.
Because of the increased weight and the slushbox automatic, city MPG isn't improved. If you cut down the curb weight to something less than 3,000 pounds and took out the slushbox for a CVT or dual dry clutch and add auto start/stop. It'd be a better rounded vehicle. Maybe reduce the diesel to 1.6 liters if you can get the curb weight down enough.
But see, you can't beat a Prius on the EPA tests and difficult to beat in the real world. Their Atkinson cycle gas engine and Hybrid-Synergy-Drive system is too good. But you can get close on the highway with a tad more power, though the heavier curb weight (~3050 vs ~3475lb) kind of saps that away.
Also keep in mind that a modern diesel isn't much more efficient than a similarly sized modern gas engine, it just has more energy to work with since diesel contains more energy than gas. An Atkinson cycle gas engine can be more efficient than a diesel because of simple emissions equipment and good thermal efficiency